Topic: So the lightest weight...

So the lightest weight, best handling, and cheapest generation gets no love?

My 84 cries for attention to.

Has anyone out there done a very non traditional motor swap?

I was going with the BMW M70 V12...then decided against it with the prospective of building an E85 305. My reasoing? I already have 11 to 1 pistons. 6" rods, and the longer stroke in proportion ot the bore is an ideal setup for the slower burning e85 and E100 fuels.

Plus...I can put a 6 speed for cheaper. But a the T5 will work right now

I have a 86 with 80K miles on it with TPI. I hope I don't have to do a engine swap anytime soon. My boyfriend has a 82 and is in the process of an engine swap, From a 305 to a 350, don't know the specs or anything like that. He would have to fill you in..hehe.

Originally posted by LuvKITT I have a 86 with 80K miles on it with TPI. I hope I don't have to do a engine swap anytime soon. My boyfriend has a 82 and is in the process of an engine swap, From a 305 to a 350, don't know the specs or anything like that. He would have to fill you in..hehe.

Also, I thought 3rd gens went from 82-92.

Your right, the 4th gen.'s are 93 to 02 I will let Ben know and see if he can change that.

The need for is growing and spring is time to bring out the BARR"S AM for the shake down run, hope all of you are ready as I am.

Yeah, thanks for noticing that too.
The best Third Gens ever made were in the 91 and 92 years.

In Roswell, there was a pretty much bone stock Formula 350 with 3.42's that ran a solid thirteen every pass. GTA's, convertible trans-ams....1992 was the acme year.

FYI, some cool info. My former principal's dad was a "way-up"at GM. He was a cr guy, and we used to talk. He would tell me storires of how the 3rd gen went into design, Apparently...they were looking to change the entire image of american sports cars. They had their eyes on the ferrari 308 and resulting 288 GTO chassis and never really lost sight of that. The 3rd gen was supposed to have IRS, this is obvious if you frame-off a 3rd gen and notice cavernous area underneath the wheelwell and the way the rear shocks attach. There is supposed to be a bulkhead between the rear shock towers. The front was supposed to have SLA but that was axed. And the chassis torsional rigidity was proposed with a space-frame design was also axed. What the bean counters never got to destroy was the wheelbase proportions and amazingly smooth lines of the car. If you have or have driven a 1LE car, you see that even with cost cutting measures like crappy unbody, live axle, simple macphereson strut setups, etc, the car handles like its on rails. My84 has a1LE graft, and aftermakret swaybars form PST.Thats it, not strut brace or anything, no subframe connectors, and it pulled hard. I cant wait to implement the 5 years of chassis research I have done.

Its just cool to know your car was designed with a lot of thought.Even if we suffer from cost cutting, subframe instead space frame, 305's, mac struts, live axles and 7.5" diffs...the cars have a lot of potential with relatively little work.

Fourth gens suffered from being designed on the same architecture but being brought up to modenr safety standards. They gained weight, and were still flexible.
Front suspension was quite a bit better, but just a little portly. I was driving my 84 back to back with my 99...no comparison on the handling compartment or stopping either